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J. H. LUX, Administrator of P. LUX, Decd.

HAY LOADER.

Patented May 4, 1886.

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J. EL Lux, Administrator of P. LUX, Decd.

HAY LOADER.

19.341,385. Patented May 4, i886.'

WITWESSES,

e UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN H. LUX, PHILIP LUX, AND SAMUEL EDE, OF EARLVILLE, IOWA; JOHN II. LUX ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID PHILIP LUX, DECEASED.

HAY-LOADER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,385, dated May 4, 1886.

Application Filed Juno 13, IESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. LUX, PHILIP LUX, and SAMUEL EDE, all residents of' Earlville, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Loaders; and we do hereby declare that'the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to Io which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompan yi n g d rawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a perspective view of the lower I5 part of a hay-loader provided with our iniprovement. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of the middle portions of the rake-bars and of the guides, showing the improvement, and Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view of one 2o of the rake-bars.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all the figures.

Our invention has relation to endless-chain rakes for hay-loaders; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the means for guiding the rake-arms and allowing them to yield to obstructionsfor the teeth, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

3o In the accompanying drawings, the letters A A indicate the drive-wheels, which are mounted upon the drive-axle B, which is journaled in bearings upon the side pieces, C C, of the machine-frame. This frame is 'secured in the usual manner to the rear end of a wagon and has the inclined elevator-frame D, provided with the endless elevator-chains E, the cross pieces or slats F, and connectingcords G. The wind-brake H is secured over 4o the elevator and has the longitudinal slats I,

and all these parts may be of any desired construction, no claims being made for the same. Two upright-s, J J, are secured upon the side pieces of the frame, and are provided near their tops with gudgeons, upon which the sprocket-wheels O O are journaled. Two hangers, N N, are secured upon the lower edges of the side pieces of the frame, and a rake-shaft, L, is journaled in bearings M M 5o in these hangers and provided at its ends with Serial No. 168,509. (No model.)

the sprocketwheels P P. A sprocket-chain, Q, connects each of the wheels P with one of the wheels O, and a cog-wheel, R, upon the end of the shaft L, receives motion from a cogwheel, S, upon the drive-shaft. Thesproeketchains are provided at even intervals with links T, which form transverse sockets U, and the ends of the rake-bars V turn in these sockets, the sockets forming bearings for the ends of the transverse rake-bars. 6o

The rear ends of the side pieces of the machine-frame areconnected by means of a erosspiece, W, and the lower end of the wind-brake is formed by a cross-piece, X, and a curved fiat strip or bar, Y, is secured at both ends to the middles of these crosspieces, forming the lower portion of the guideways for the rakebars. The curved cleaner rods or bars Z are likewise secured at their ends to these crosspieees, having the same curve -as the guide- 7o strip, the said cleaner-rods serving to clean the teeth A' ofthe rake-bars from the hay as the rake-teeth carry the hay up upon the elevator.

The upper guide strip or bar, B', is curved 75 to run parallel with the lower strip, and its upper end is secured to the middle of a crosspiece, C', secured to the lower ends of the uprights J, and the lower end of the upper guide-strip is bent forward, as shown at D', 8o and formed with a bearing, E', in which the middle ofthe lower rake-shalt turns, the said shaft supporting the said end of the guidestrip.

The outwardly-pointing ends of two spiral 8 5 springs, F', are formed into eyes G', as shown, and iit upon the two central teeth of the rakeloais, and the spiings are wrapped around the rake-bars, and have their ends secured to the under sides of plates H', the said ends progo i jecting'at right angles, or nearly so, to the teeth.

Each plate H' is provided with a transverse eye, I', near its rear end, into which the inwardly-bent ends of the springs are placed, and the springs are secured by means of a transverse yoke or clamping-plate, J', secured to the forward portion of the under side of the plate by means of a screw, K', and the side edges of the plate may be provided with Ioo downwardly-projecting lips L, which prevent the ends of the springs from spreading, when two springs or a spring made in two parts is used.

It will be seen that when the rake-bars are at the upper portion of their journey the plates are free of the guideways, and consequently the rake-bars are allowed to swing freely in their bearings with the teeth projecting downward, and when the bars pass between the guide-bars the plates will cause the teeth to project downward, so as to bear against the ground and rake the hay, while the springs will allow the bar and teeth to yield to any obstructions and force them back into their original position when the obstruction is passed. The upper sides of the plates H/ bear against the upper guide-bar, while the lower guide-bar serves to prevent the springs, when returning the rake-bars to their normal position after passing an obstruction, from throwing the teeth and the plates too far forward, the under sides of the plates striking the lower guide-bar in that case.

By using one guideway instead of two, and placing it near the middle ofthe machine, the spring upon each rake-bar will aiways act upon the rake-bar in any operative position, while if two springs are used, as would be necessary with two guideways, they would have to be adjusted with relation to each other, and even then it has been found by experience that in a short time one or the other of them will get out of its proper adjustment and leave that end of the rake-bar without any sufficient support, and cause the rake-bar to be twisted or racked out of position, and the machine rendered inoperative and useless.

The operation and advantages of our invention may be readily understood from the foregoing description,talen in connection with the accompanying drawings, without further explanation.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. ln an endles-ohain rake,the combination of a curved guideway and a series of rake-bars, said guideway consisting of two curved bars supported independently of each other, and

placed intermediate of the ends of the rakebars, and each of said rake-bars being provided with a spring-actuated plate which travels within said guideway, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In an endless-chain hay-loader rake, the combination of a curved guideway formed by curved bars with the rake-bars having teeth, springs wrapped around the bars and secured at one end to them, and guide-plates for traveling between the guide-bars, secured to the opposite ends of the springs, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. In an endless-chain rake, the combination of a curved guideway formed by curved bars, the rake-bars having teeth, springs secured thereto and having their ends projecting out at a nearly right angle to the teeth, and plates traveling in the guideway and secured to the projecting ends of the springs,as

and for the purpose shown and set forth.

4. In ahay-loader, the combination of the frame having a crosspiece at its rear end,and having two cross-pieces at the lower portion of the elevator, the rake-shaft, the lower curved guidestrip secured to the uppermost and to the rearmost of the cross-pieces, the upper curved guide-strip secured at its upper end to the lowermost of the two upper crosspieces and having its lower end bent forward and provided with a bearing for the rakeshaft, and the endless chain rake passing between the guide-strips,as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

5. The combination of a guide-plate, having a transverse eye at one end and a yoke or clamping-plate secured to the other, a rake-bar,

JOHN H. LUX. PHILIP LUX. SAMUEL EDE.

Witnesses:

FRANK XVAGNER, F. M. NuweoMB. 

